Fight the Darkness Together
by Gimli der Zwerg
Summary: I think the rating's ok. My take on how Gimli and Legolas became friend. Legolas muses on stuff. Chapter 2/? Please review!!
1. Darkness

I own nothing. Nothing at all.  
  
My version of how Gimli and Legolas became friends. No slash. Please review and tell me if you want me to continue. I have another chapter ready and waiting!  
  
  
  
He could not control it anymore. Yet... he must. He must control it. He must be strong... but it was no good. His grasp was slipping. He could feel the old desperation bubbling up. He had only felt that once before. Only once. And that was when his mother and brother had been killed. Murdered.  
  
Murdered... they had been murdered. Just like he had murdered Gandalf. Dear, cranky old Gandalf. He had been a great friend right from Day One. He had walked in when the rest of the world walked out. If it were not for Gandalf his family would have starved to death many winters ago. Gandalf had saved his life many times before now.  
  
And now he had killed him.  
  
Murderer. A voice lauhed cruelly in the back of his head. Murderer.... murderer.... you are a murderer.  
  
"No!"  
  
He dropped to the ground beside a silver stream, running like a pure ribbon through the trees. He bowed his head, his copper-red hair falling forwards, hiding his rough, dirt-stained face, his fingers buried between the thick locks of hair on his head. He squeezed his eyes tight shut as the grief overwhelmed him. His heart ached. Rather, his chest ached where his heart should have been. He felt so empty... yet, he ws not. The emptiness was there, yet it was made up of pain. Pain ripped throughout his body, tearing his soul apart. He could bear it no longer. Guilt racked his frame, the tiny voice inside his haed becoming louder... louder... throbbing inside his head, beating rytmically, tauntingly inside his eardrums.  
  
*Murderer... murderer... murderer.... MURDERER!*  
  
"No!" his voice caught against an unbroken sob that tore at his throat. His tears were building up inside his eyes, burning against his lids. One escaped and ran down his cheek.  
  
"Why do I keep losing everyone!?" he cried to the heavens, as though that would help him. But no one could help him now.  
  
*Murderer... murderer... murderer... MURDERER!*  
  
The darkness that had been brooding inside of his very soul for years uncounted suddenly broke free, rising up, up, up... consuming him, pulling him down into darkness. He must resist! Hhe msut not let it win! But... oh it was tempting... SO tempting! He did not have the right to exist anymore. It should have been him falling down that abyss. He did not deserve to live.  
  
*Murderer....*  
  
"Please! No more... leave me alone..."  
  
The pain was all. It always had been and always would be. There was no reprieve, no end to the on-going torture inflicted into his heart and soul.  
  
A slender, strong arm wrapped around his shaking shoulders. The owner of that arm flinched slightly at the touch, but held it steady.  
  
The pain lessened slightly, as though chased away by the slight comfort offered to him. the owner of the arm spoke softly, in a voice so sweet and music as he ringing of silver bells.  
  
"Steady now... just steady. Come on, come back to us. Fight it,"  
  
How did he know? How did he know what he was trying to wage a never-ending battle against? How could he? Why did he care? Why was he here?  
  
"Fight, Gimli! Fight!"  
  
He fought. He struggled against the ever-growing darkness, forced it down. It took so much effort... he was so tired... but he kept going, kept fighting, until it was forced back ad bottled up again. With a sigh of relief, he relaxed and came back to the world of Light. And, as he did so, his guard came down, heartache and exhaustion took over, and he wept.  
  
  
  
Please review. Danke. 


	2. Musings

I own nothing. Nothing at all.  
  
My version of how Gimli and Legolas became friends. No slash. Thankyou SO much for the reviews! It makes me feel like I'm wanted! Just for you, here's the next chapter! (And here is a shameless plug. Please read and review my fic Love To See You Cry. Only Damn the Torpedoes has reviewed and that's only cos I asked her to! Please peoples???)  
  
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Legolas turned his back on the Dwarf, feeling ashamed and irritated at himself. Why had he just gone in there like that, and *looked after him*!? He was a *Dwarf* for the sake of Elbereth! He should not *care*!  
  
And yet... he had. He had cared. He had heard and hearkened to the tortured scream of the Dwarf, as he fought desperately against the darkness that had risen like a dragon from it's sleep, to ruin his soul. Legolas had seen that darkness before. It had driven his mother to seek the comfort of the Sea and the Undying Lands after his younger sister had been still-born. His mother had blamed herself for the young one's death. Legolas knew that Gimli must be racked with guilt over Gandalf's fall.  
  
And why should he not be? It was *his* fault after all! If that blasted Dwarf had not been so... so *eager* to go to that terrible place then this would never have happened! They would have gone to Rohan! That terrible, fearsome creature of Melkor, the Balrog, kept rising up in his mind, in his memories, in his *dreams*. Legolas had always been able to control his dreams, but now with that monster haunting them he became uneasy and fretful.  
  
Frodo was forever changed. His innocent heart scarred by the horror and fear of this Quest, as well as the burden that rested so havily upon him. Legolas saw the sadness in his eyes, felt the fear emanating from his small body. He kept instinctively reaching up to grasp the Ring, his face pale and impassive, stained with tears.  
  
It was the Dwarf's fault.  
  
Sam's back seemed eternally bent under the burden that rested upon his shoulders. He had sworn to protect his master, to go with him to the end. But Gandalf was gone, and Sam saw no hope. Legolas knew that Sam's steadfast, unwavering loyalty would do their Quest better than a thousand trained warriors with famous swords, but now... now Sam was lost. He did not understand, did not want to understand. He held desperately to Frodo to avoid being swept away, but it was changing him, marring his pure soul. He was hurting.  
  
It was the Dwarf's fault.  
  
Pippin's cheerful innocence had been swept away with the tides of fate. Guilt had befallen him also. Not a single hour had gone by since they had arrived in Lotlorién that Pippin had not wept. Sobbing into his pillow every night, into his hands, Merry's waistcoat. His tears seemed to be trying to wash away the pain taht had stripped him of his innocence, Legolas felt Pippin's guilt. But it was not his fault.  
  
It was the Dwarf's fault.  
  
And Merry... Merry no longer lived up to his name. The haunted look in his honest, sparkling brown eyes worried Legolas. The hobbit felt the responsibility he had bequeathed to himself. He thought he had to look after Pippin. He though the was meant to protect and look after Frodo. He thought it was his fault.  
  
But it was the Dwarf's fault.  
  
And yet... and yet despite all this Legolas had been unable to walk on by. He had seen the terrible conscequences of the darkness that leached off the guilt, hatred and fear inside an individuals heart. But Legolas had believed that the darkness could only affect beings with hearts. Dwarves did not have hearts. They had been carved from the bones of the earth. There must be some other explanation as to why this darkness haunted Gimli so.  
  
Some other explanation...  
  
"Wait!"  
  
Legolas froze. Why was Gimli asking him to wait. Slowly, he turned around. Gimli had stood up, and was reaching out towards him as though in mid-step. Under Legolas' piercing, bright blue gaze, he semed to quail. He looked at his boots, shuffling uncomfortably.  
  
"Thankyou," he murmured.  
  
Legolas looked surprised, his elegant eyebrows arching, "You're welcome," he finally managed to say.  
  
"They stood staring at one another for a while, before Legolas stepped forward and laid a hand on Gimli's shoulder, "Would you care to walk with me awhile?" he asked in an almost friendly voice.  
  
Gimli looked up at him, then smiled, "Yes," he replied.  
  
  
  
Now, that's not all! There will be more chapters if people review! Oh, and there's a really cool website you guys should see (don't get offended by any of it- it's made by some Merry and Gimli fans so no other characters get lucky). here's the url:  
  
http://hometown.aol.co.uk/merryandgimli/page1.html  
  
Danke and please review! 


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